Satellite Remote Sensing News

University of Georgia marine scientist Samantha Joye, who is the Athletic Association Professor in Arts and Sciences, and UGA colleagues Patricia Medeiros and Christof Meile have received a $1.3 million grant from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative that will enable UGA researchers and scientists from 13 other institutions to understand more thoroughly the ecosystem impacts of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The three-year grant, awarded through a competitive merit-review process by a board comprised of researchers from academic institutions, will allow scientists and emergency responders to better predict and respond to future spills, should they occur.

Horizon Marine has initiated a Joint Industry Project (JIP) with two Eddy Watch – Trinidad/Venezuela clients and a modeling group at the of to develop a dynamic numerical model for predicting the migration of North Brazil Currents (NBC) rings towards . NBC rings are energetic, deepwater oceanic features that carry 3.0+ knot currents and significantly interfere with offshore operations as they travel northwest along the coast from North Brazil to . Utilizing surface drifters and satellite remote sensing, Horizon Marine has successfully tracked the formation, separation, and migration of 46 powerful rings that have shed from the NBC for 15 different companies since September 2001.